At the start of May Texas State Representative David Simpson (R-Longview) introduced Texas House Bill 1937, a bill that would make it a felony for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Transportation Security Officers (TSO) to touch a person’s genitals, or breasts, during a security pat down without probable cause during an ‘enhanced putdown.’ Since writing…
Aviation security is a delicate balance. Airlines and aviation security agencies must balance risk against revenue and be proactive to be ahead of threats … and while there is the argument of “can you ever really have to much security?” … it appears that Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior division of Flight Protection may have the…
Over the past few weeks there seems to be an unusual frequency of stories regarding airline passengers attempting to open a commercial airliner’s door in flight. The thought of a door opening in flight is scary, and with good reason … people fear being sucked out of a plane and the rapid decompression causing plane…
The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Administrator John Pistole has recently announced plans to create and oversee a ‘Trusted Traveler‘ program. Under the TSA’s proposed ‘Trusted Traveler’ program airline passengers would be able to avoid Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) scanners, leave their shoes on and leave their laptops in their bags. The TSA’s proposed ‘Trusted Traveler’…
POST EDITED ON 10-MARCH-2011 : CORRECT AN ERROR IN THE FINANCIAL NUMBERS CAUSED BY A SPELL CHECKER The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) budget is enormous, but is the agency prioritizing and allocating its funds in the most effective manner? At present the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lists the TSA’s budget at US$8,164,780,000 with US$7,910,780,000…
This blog post was supposed to be about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the upcoming vote to unionize the agency’s Transportation Security Officers (TSO). In the process of researching what should have been a very minor point of reference, which probably would have barely been mentioned here … the minor detail became a story…
Nine years ago today aviation security around the world changed … and not necessarily for the better. Nine years ago today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) took over passenger screening in airports from private security contractors in the United States. On the 12th of February 2002 airport security in the United States was overseen by…
In 2005 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began a pilot program in conjunction with the Registered Traveler Interoperability Consortium, where travelers could undergo a background check, and provide a biometric sample to the TSA’s Office of Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing and become a “Registered Traveler.” On paper the Registered Traveler program made sense. The…
Disclosure : This post is a personal view point editorial Since I began covering aviation security on the 15th of September 2001 I have spent a considerable amount of time dealing with the federal agencies that were involved with protecting airports and commercial aviation. When the primary responsibility of aviation security in the United States…
When John Pistole was tapped to become the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Administrator, while serving at the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), many had high hopes for his leadership of the controversial and poorly guided agency. Prior to joining the TSA, on the 25th of June 2010 Pistole was highly respected…
